The sea is a vital source of life yet often time's man endangers the ability of the sea to continue giving life. That is why many coastal areas once teeming with fish and other marine life are now dead areas due to irresponsible activities of man like dynamite fishing, cyanide fishing, and indiscriminate dumping of industrial wastes and other garbage.
The effect of these activities has led to the significant destruction and reduction of our natural reef systems. All reefs, both natural and artificial, serve as food, shelter and protection for a multitude of marine animals and plants, including vital links in the food chain such as crustaceans, sponges, and invertebrates. Because natural reefs cannot rebuild themselves fast enough to keep up with their destruction rates, the fragile ocean reef system stands in peril.
Since large natural coral structures take thousands of years to develop, one way that man can help the reef system is to put back the essential structure that sustains life. Much like forests replanted on land, artificial reefs must be “planted” on the ocean floor. Efforts have been made to build marine sanctuaries and artificial reefs out of many things such as car tires, construction rubble, ships and planes. Even refuse unsuitable for landfills has been used to make reefs. Unfortunately, many of these methods and systems have turned out to be environmentally unsound, very expensive, or both.
In the case of standard all concrete reefs, such reefs require an excessive amount of time marine life to latch on and germinate on them to result in viable reef structures.
Attempts have been also been made to use all-organic reef materials such as weighted-down logs, ropes, or bamboo. However, these materials do not generate permanent structures which are the basic foundations of a marine ecosystem. Rather, these organic materials merely serve as fish accumulators, attracting them from somewhere else.
Therefore, there is a need to develop an improved artificial reef system that is durable, can support the biota of a naturally-occurring reef system, and does not create additional environmental damage.